VEAL MEATBALLS WITH SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS

Few things are as comforting as a meatball. And the first time you do them in the slow cooker will have you asking why you haven’t tried it before. The sauce can be made in advance – well in advance if you wish. The two golden rules of slow cooking must be adhered to for this: don’t lift the lid, and don’t stir too much. You want the heat to stay in the slow cooker, not escape.

SERVES 4

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ½ tsp chilli flakes

¼ tsp ground mace or nutmeg 400g can chopped tomatoes handful roughly chopped dill handful roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

400g can chickpeas, rinsed and well drained

2 large handfuls baby spinach leaves

finely grated pecorino, to serve

MEATBALLS

750g veal mince

30g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs 2 spring onions, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp fennel seeds, roughly chopped 2 tbsp finely grated pecorino

1 Heat your slow cooker to high.

2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes to soften without browning. Scrape into the bowl of the slow cooker, then add the chilli flakes, mace, tomatoes, dill, parsley, chickpeas and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir to combine. Cover and leave to cook while you make the meatballs.

3 For the meatballs, put the mince, breadcrumbs, spring onions, garlic, fennel seeds, pecorino and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper into a bowl.

Use your hands to squeeze the mixture together until it is really well combined. Wet your hands and form the mixture into walnut-sized balls.

4 Drop the meatballs into the slow cooker, cover and cook for 2 hours, until cooked through. Stir through the spinach, then cover and cook for a few minutes, just until it has wilted.

5 Transfer to serving plates and scatter with the grated pecorino.